Shin-Chan Creator Dies in Accident

Yoshito Usui, creator of the Japanese manga and anime property Crayon Shin-chan, was found dead Sunday in the mountains north of Tokyo. He was 51.

According to news reports, Usui had told family he was planning to climb a mountain in Gunnma prefecture and went missing on Sept. 11. Japanese media reported that he may have fallen from a cliff. His body was found with wounds to his chest.

Crayon Shin-chan, about a mischievous 5-year-old boy, became a hit manga in the 1990s, with 49 volumes published in Japan. An English-language version was published in the United States by CMX, an imprint of DC Comics.

The series jumped to anime in 1992, and continues to run today. The show aired in the United States on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block.